Monterey Bocce Finals 2016

March Madness has come and gone, as it has done each year since Monterey's Golf Community has taken on the additional identity of a Bocce Community with all the enthusiasm that surrounds this busy, fast-paced game.

In two weeks of tournament play, sixty-four pairs of players filter down to four couples before one couple rises to the top and claims the bocce championship for the season, their names joining seven others on the list of winners beginning in 2009.

All during the tournament, crowds of bocce players and friends gather for every session, not only to cheer for friends but because bocce is, after all, a lot of fun to watch. By the time players are successful enough to reach tournament status, they are pretty good at some of the more dynamic techniques that can wallop the balls and change instantly the expected outcome of a particular round.

Fun to play, fun to watch - bocce gets bigger and bigger with every season at Monterey. Thanks, Pete!

2016 Art Show

The Main Clubhouse was transformed into an art gallery on Monday, March 14,when fifteen Monterey artists displayed selections of their work for the viewing of fellow residents. Attendance, conveniently spread throughout the five-plus hour showing, was estimated at well over one hundred fifty. Some of the viewers came and left and then came again.

Water colors, oils, ink drawings, even photography, thoughtfully displayed for comfortable viewing, were pleasingly admired. Some of the pieces were for sale, and many of the artists, wearing ART GROUP stickers, were right there for a bit of discussion and praise. Organizers Betty Moore and Carol Martz were pleased with the turnout for their second annual show. A listing of Exhibitors, along with phone numbers and local addresses is available for people wishing to make contact or a purchase.

2016 Fashion Show

A busy buffet table offering a pleasing variety of sandwiches topped off with nothing less than Mimosas and followed by dainty pastries was just the front runner for a well-attended Sunday afternoon Style Show that is becoming an annual event at Monterey.

The trick is in the composition and presentation, inasmuch as the models, seven women and five men, are all residents with no previous runway experience. Each ventured down the aisle for as many as six appearances, wearing outfits chosen by the models themselves from the newest seasonal stock of a local department store. Except for guidance by an experienced store representative, and multitudes of garments and accessories from which to select, the home grown show brought a charming fresh slant on fashion and enjoyed plenty of audience support and encouragement.

2016 Dancing Under the Stars

Following close on the heels of March Madness bocce playoffs, with the Sophisticats' tuning up routine actually providing a bit of background music for the final teams' endeavors, the Dancing Under the Stars celebrants convened in high spirits promptly at six p.m. Small tent tops provided cover for an adornment of goodies prepared and gradually demolished by those in attendance. There were not so many stars that evening to carry out the title, but a very charming slender moon against a black sky captured the essence of the theme perfectly.

The entire space beside the Main Clubhouse was transformed into a huge dance floor, and this time partygoers knew just what to expect. Music and gaiety prevailed! Plenty of chairs were set up around the edges for dancers to take time off the dance floor, but something energizing about being out-of-doors seemed to propel those dancers to stay on their feet. You had to ask yourself: Was this space actually filled with parked cars just hours before?

Mardi Gras at Monterey

An energized crowd invaded the Monterey Yacht Club on February 16 to usher in the Lenten season with a charged up Mardi Gras celebration. Leis and masks were passed out to willing participants, and there was plenty of dancing to music provided by Night Rhythm.

And games! There were games of skill and games of chance. YMCA, of course! Then you got to enjoy Macho Man, with the Indian and soldier and construction worker all decked out. Battle of the Sexes pitted five men and five women against each other to see which sex was smartest and quicker to arrange themselves tallest to smallest. Everybody won. Wine for the men and delightful heart-box candy for the women.

The season called for a pinata, and this one required four hefty swings of the stick by the second blindfolded lady to smash it up. The waiting crowd wasted no time rushing out onto the floor to grab the candy. Music, singing, dancing, games, prizes - before you knew it, it was over, and everybody was exhausted! At the proper time next year, they'll all be back.